Friday, July 24, 2015

Summer in Rome is dead hot! I can say that the heat is so dense and thick that it can be physically touched by hand. The feeling is
like being pulled by Dante into the Inferno with no return, if you know
what I mean. This has brought me to lose
my sleep, my energy, my mental stability but, for no reason in the world, did I lose my appetite. Although the appetite is always strong, I do,
however, prefer light refreshing food like a cold sliced melon, wrapped with
prosciutto, preferably under a cool breeze, and in lack of such, a full blast air-conditioner will
do as well.

Here’s a different way to put some melon and prosciutto
together.

It will make you feel good and full and you don’t need to cook over hot flames, which is an optimal solution for everyone these days.

Melon and Prosciutto Gazpacho

adapted from the Italian magazine Sale & Pepe

3 slices bread, only the crumb

1 small red onion

3 tbsp apple vinegar

1 melon (any variety)

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 cup of plain yogurt

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Basil

Place the bread crumb in a small bowl and let it soak with the apple vinegar. Put the melon, red onion, cucumber, plain white yogurt in a blender and blend until puréed. Squeeze the vinegar from the bread crumb, discard the vinegar and add the soaked bread in the blender. Add salt, pepper and basil to taste and blend again until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled and serve with fresh melon and prosciutto, some more chopped basil, a drizzle of EVO and a dash of pepper.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Fagottini Croccanti di Parmigiano e PeraIf there's one thing I could never say no to, that's cheese. Even more so, if the cheese I refer to, is Parmigiano Reggiano. Open my fridge and you'll always find a piece and another one tucked away...just in case. So, when I was invited to take part in this year's contest, PR Chef 4Cooking, I said YES, and I thought I'd participate the only way I enjoy it most, by enhancing the flavour of a prime quality ingredient using as less as possible. Which is no more than the message used to promote the contest "excellence is obtained by removing, not adding".

In Italy they say, don't let the farmer know how good cheese is with pears ... presumably because if he knew he would keep them for himself. Whether the farmer knows or not, the combination of the two is how I participate in this contest.Crunchy Bites of Parmigiano Reggiano and Pear - Fagottini Croccanti di Parmigiano e Pera

semi seeds to garnish (spices are not considered an ingredient for this contest)
vegetable oil for frying

Preheat a frying pan with vegetable oil. In the middle of a fillo sheet, place a parmigiano cube and a pear cube of the same size. Roll and wrap the fill sheet around the cubes to form a parcel. Seal the ends with your fingers previously damped in water. Deep fry the parcels until golden brown. When done, place them on a paper towel to remove any excess of frying oil. Serve warm covered with honey and some extra on the side. Sprinkle toasted semi seeds on top for an extra crunch.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

LET'S GO FOR A WALK IN THE GARDEN
I watch and I wait. I wait and I watch so much that even the most imperceptible change is detected. Suddenly a tiny green leaf makes its way through the earth and sprouts right before my eyes. Radishes, beets, chard, onions, cabbage, many edible flowers are gathered in one big white pot on top of my kitchen counter. Each day they get stronger, taller, wider and what was barely a handful of seeds has become a mini vegetable garden. It's almost a pity to take it away from that spot where I would pay my daily visit with nature and its beauty. No matter how you see it, la vita è bella, life is beautiful.

In our backyard we have a small space where we grow our vegetables and at the far end, in a corner of that space, is a shake, a wretched wooden shake that barely holds together. A few years ago while we were preparing the garden for the season my son stopped what he was doing, grabbed a bucket of white paint and brushed these words on its door.

Facta non Verba.

Yes, there's lots of hard work to maintain a vegetable garden, especially if your life is a busy one that doesn't allow too much time for things you love to do most. But, if you have a passion nothing stops you. There's no, I'll do it tomorrow, I don't have the time. It's done because you love it. Actions speak louder than words. I think this sums up the sentiment well enough.
...and then there's another aspect. There's a tastier take on food, if not only for the fact, that you've grown your own.

So this is what I've been up to lately. From garden to table. RECIPE 1

This first dish, is a Bass fillet with radish cream. The recipe comes from Chef Cannavacciolo, if you don't know who he is, click on his Facebook page here. Picture a giant robust man, with huge hands that are the most delicate I've ever seen. In simple clean moves he puts together a dish that is out of this world. I saw him making this dish on TV and on that same day, I went out, bought some fresh fish, and made our lunch in just a blink of an eye. Of course, I had plenty of radishes so I used the best, they come from my garden.

To make the cream, peel the red of the radishes and blend with yogurt until smooth. Add a couple of tbsp of EVO and salt to taste. Mix by hand with a spoon.

Place the radish cream in each serving dish.

Pan cook the fillet fish by rubbing some EVO on both sides of the fillet. Preheat a non stick pan and place the fish skin side down, press the fish fillet with two finger for just 3 seconds, let it cook for 7 more seconds and flip it over delicately so that the skin doesn't remain on the surface of the pan. Cook for another 10 seconds until the fish is cooked through but remains moist.

Place the fish on the cream radish, garnish with a radish, a drizzle of EVO and some maldon salt.

Mix all ingredients and let stand for 15 minutes so flavours amalgamate. Dress your salad just before serving.RECIPE 3

Pinzimonio

4 tbsp of EVO
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 anchovy fillets

Rinse the anchovies from the salt and remove the fillets from the fishbone. Finely slice the anchovies, place them in a bowl and add the lemon juice. Help yourself with a fork to dissolve the anchovies with the juice. Add the oil and let stand for 15 minutes. Place the dressing-dip in a bowl and serve next to any fresh raw vegetables you have available.

*Your vegetables would be more crunchy if you let them sit in some ice and water for just a few minutes before serving.

RECIPE 4

Red Chard Bruschetta

Red Chard (or Radish greens)
EVO
2 garlic cloves
salt
sliced bread

Rinse clean the chard leaves. Preheat a pan, add 2 tbsp EVO and 1 whole garlic clove. Allow the garlic to golden and remove it from the pan. Add a couple of handfuls of chard leaves to the pan and allow the leaves to cook for about 15 minutes until they are tender. Add some salt to taste.

Toast some bread slices, preferably on the barbecue so they get a smoked flavour. Lightly rub the bread with the garlic and place the pan fried chard on top. Scoop up some liquids that are in the pan and drizzle over the bruschetta.